Overview
- More than 300 students and teachers were abducted from a Catholic school last week, with about 50 reported to have escaped.
- Pope Leo urged the immediate release of those kidnapped after decrying attacks on clergy, worshipers, and students in Nigeria and Cameroon.
- President Donald Trump condemned the violence, threatened to cut U.S. aid to Nigeria, and his administration outlined options that include sanctions, intelligence sharing, security assistance, policing support, economic programs, and potential use of force.
- The Pentagon said Secretary of War Pete Hegseth pressed National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu for urgent, sustained steps and discussed cooperation to deter and degrade terrorist groups.
- Nigeria maintains it is fighting the threats as analysts warn limited U.S. airstrikes would be ineffective without partnership and better local governance, with violence driven by groups including Boko Haram, ISWAP, and armed herder-farmer clashes that have claimed Christian and Muslim victims.